Aerolíneas Argentinas completed the formal return of Boeing 737-800 LV-GKS (MSN 60491) to lessor Avolon on 23 October, after the aircraft was deemed damaged beyond repair. The jet, grounded following hail damage in Córdoba on 1 January, was ferried from Ezeiza via Lima, Cancún and Tucson to Marana, Arizona, where it is to be dismantled. Its engines were removed for return to the airline as spare units.
Repairs were considered uneconomical after the hailstorm, which occurred on the day of LV-GKS’s last commercial flight. The aircraft was moved from Córdoba to Ezeiza and prepared for retirement. Its handback followed nearly two months of technical, logistical and contractual coordination.
Avolon delivered the 737-800 to Aerolíneas Argentinas in November 2016. It had served the airline’s domestic and regional network for about nine years. The carrier operates around 28 737-800s, alongside 737 MAX 8s, Embraer E190s and Airbus A330-200s. The early withdrawal comes as the airline plans fleet renewal and optimisation for 2027–2031; recovering the engines preserves usable assets for its remaining operations.